2019- Ian Lanphear

Born and raised in the lush regions of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Ian Lanphear developed a deep admiration for both wildlife and the arts at a young age. Growing up, he spent the majority of his time painting, drawing and exploring the outdoors. The fauna and flora of his surroundings often found themselves as the inspiration to his creative endeavors. 

Before graduating high school, Ian took a job at a restaurant as a dishwasher, which unknown at the time would change his career trajectory. After working in the industry for a few years, and wanting to further pursue the arts, he made the decision to move to San Antonio, Texas, based on a previous visit to the Hill Country. Finding himself back in the industry, now as a cook, it was here that he became exposed to fine dining and immediately fell in love. He later took a position at Restaurant Gwendolyn, a fine dining restaurant, focused exclusively on local, sustainable cuisine. It was here that Ian felt everything coming together. This experience encouraged him to use his creative abilities to showcase and preserve both old school cooking techniques and the local ingredients that Texas has to offer. He was recognized as a leader within the company, being promoted to Sous Chef in 2015, then later Chef de Cuisine in 2016. 

Since, Ian has developed his own identity as a chef by combining his passion for sustainability with his adoration for Texas terroir to create unique, norm-bending dishes. Through the use of both native and invasive ingredients, he hopes to rebuild a strong human connection between the guest and the land that is Texas.

Ian joined us for the month of June, during which time he held a workshop on foraging as well as create a beautifully unique 12-course dinner. For this tasting menu, Ian utilized both foraged and raised foods from the landscape around Habitable Spaces.

Ian is now Chef de Cuisine at Isidore at The Historic Pearl in Downtown San Antonio where he continues to play with the boundaries of cuisine.

Tuesdays-Sundays 5PM-10PM, closed Mondays

Social Hour | Tuesdays-Thursdays 5pm-6:30pm

221 Newell Avenue, San Antonio, TX 78215